Owerri — The Imo State Police Command has dismantled a major kidnapping syndicate, arresting two alleged kingpins and seven other suspects while recovering a cache of firearms, ammunition, and other items from a hideout in the Egbema River creek.
The suspects include Confidence Vitalis, 28, from Ukugba in Egbema, Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, and Ishiaya Rejoice, 32, from Emuoha in Rivers State. Police said the arrests, based on credible intelligence and confessional statements, triggered a successful raid on the gang’s operational base.
During the operation, security operatives rescued three kidnapped victims unharmed. The victims reportedly identified some of the arrested suspects as members of the gang that abducted them.
Items recovered from the camp include one AK-47 rifle, four AK-47 magazines, 16 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, three locally fabricated cut-to-size guns, 16 live cartridges, an empty Beretta magazine, 20 rounds of GPMG ammunition, a human skull, and assorted criminal charms.
Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, who disclosed the development while briefing journalists in Owerri, revealed that the syndicate was responsible for the May 16, 2026 killing of two employees of the Imo State Homeland Security Network at Umuguma in Owerri West LGA. The victims were killed during an attempted kidnapping of Mrs. Betty Dike. Bosso added that efforts are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the gang.
In a related operation on July 7, police raided the Obiakpu swamps in Ohaji/Egbema LGA and recovered 346 rounds of live ammunition, comprising 122 rounds of AK-47, 148 rounds of M16, and 76 rounds of 9mm Beretta along with seven rifle magazines.
The Commissioner also disclosed that in the past two months, the command arrested 184 suspects for various crimes including kidnapping, terrorism, armed robbery, cultism, murder, rape, defilement, and vehicle snatching, while rescuing three kidnapped victims.
Separately, a 58-year-old man was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two 15-year-old girls, while a 19-year-old suspect was detained for defiling an eight-year-old girl. Both cases, according to Bosso, will be prosecuted after the conclusion of investigations.
The police have urged residents to continue providing timely information to security agencies to rid the state of criminal elements.
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